Powell
AP United States Government and Politics Syllabus and Pacing Guide
2014-2015
AP United States Government and Politics is an intensive study of the formal and informal structures of
government and the processes of the American political system, with an emphasis on policy-making and
implementation. This course is designed to prepare students for the AP Exam.
Text
Wilson, J. and Dilulio, Jr, J. American Government, 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003
http://college.cengage.com/polisci/wilson/am_gov/9e/students/index.html
Supplemental Texts
Bose, M. and Dilulio, Jr., J. Classic Ideas and Current Issues in American Government. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
Lasser, W. Perspectives on American Government, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
Serow, A. and Ladd, E. The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity, 5th ed. Baltimore: Lanahan, 2003
Other Materials
Current Events:
Students are responsible for keeping up with the daily events in the nation and the world.
Students will need to skim the front page of the Washington Post, Washington Times, New York Times
or the Wall Street Journal, listen to NPR or another radio news program, watch a TV news station such as
CNN, news magazine excerpts from Time, Newsweek, or the Economist; news footage and
documentaries; C-SPAN’s coverage and current events materials or access a reliable online source.
Graphs, Maps, and Charts for Data Analysis:
Students are tested on their understanding of quantitative and visually presented information
(maps and graphs) at regular intervals in the quiz assignments.
Course Plan/Pacing Guide
Unit I: Foundations of American Government and Constitutional Underpinnings – 5 – 10% of the
exam
Content Goals:
Students should understand the doctrines and historical background to the Constitution; key
principles, such as federalism and separation of powers; the ideological and philosophical underpinnings
of American government; and theories informing interpretations of the Constitution including democratic
theory, republicanism, pluralism, and elitism.
Materials:
Sections of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Federalist Papers; modern
commentary on federalism; essay writing rubrics handout.
Assigned Readings for the Unit I:
Ch. 1-3 Wilson and Dilulio,
Powell
The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity : Federalist Papers #10, #39. #46 and #51, The
American Political Tradition, The Power Elite, Diversity in the Power Elite The Constitution and
America’s Destiny.
Activities:







Comparative Essay: Articles of Confederation and the Constitution
Discussion and analyzing the Constitution in the news today (current events)
RAFT Activity – Checks and Balances
Federalism kinesthetic Venn diagram
Free response question practice from AP College Board released exam questions (Federalist
Papers #10)
Unit I Exam—multiple-choice and free-response questions
Discussion/Justification of Exam
Unit II: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties – 5 – 10% of the exam
Content Goals:
Students should understand the institutional guarantees to political and civil rights granted under
the Constitution; the rights conferred by the American government system; key Supreme Court cases and
arguments regarding constitutional protections; the impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on civil rights at
the state level; and the impact of judicial decisions on America.
Materials:
Assigned Readings for Unit 2:
Ch. 4 and 5 Wilson and Dilulio,
The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity, 5th ed.: Gideon’s Trumpet
Michael Glennon, Terrorism and the Limits of Law in Perspectives on American Politics, Peter Schuck
“Affirmative Action - Don’t Mend it or end it – Bend it” in Perspectives on American Politics
Supplemental readings, Supreme Court decisions on civil rights and civil liberties (Plessy v. Ferguson;
Brown v. Board of Education I ⅈ Roe v. Wade; Constructors, Inc. v. Pena; Engle v. Vitale; Zelman v.
Simmons-Harris, Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon V. Wainwright, Gitlow v New York) primary source
materials: current news debates on terrorism and civil liberties and contemporary news analyses
Activities:
 Collaborative group project - Jigsaw: Bill of Rights - What each amendment means in today’s
world
 Debate: Civil Rights are we all created equal? Racial, gender, and ethnicity discrimination
 Support or disagree with Peter Schuck’s essay “Affirmative Action - Don’t Mend it or end it –
Bend it” in Perspectives on American Politics
 Civil Rights vs. Civil Liberties Comparison Activity
 Panel discussion – Rights of the Accused (based on Michael Glennon, “Terrorism and the Limits
of Law” in Perspectives on American Politics)
 Privacy in today’s society with current event resources – Where are we headed? Animoto or
Prizzi presentations
 View Gideon’s Trumpet and compare/contrast it to Anthony Lewis, “Gideon’s Trumpet” in The
Lanahan Readings in the American Polity,5th ed.
 Annotated and illustrated Timeline of the evolution of Civil Rights in the United States
Powell


Unit II Exam—multiple choice and free-response questions
Discussion and Justification of Exam
Special Assignment—Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Landmark Cases: Each student is assigned two
landmark Supreme Court cases. For each assigned case, the student must prepare a written and oral brief
of the case, including the background of the case, points of law, the decision and rationale of the court,
and subsequent related cases.
Unit III: Politics and the Media (including political parties, beliefs, behaviors and interest groups)
10 – 20% of the exam
Content Goals
Students should understand the mechanisms of transmitting interests to government action, including
interest groups, political action committees, and mass media; the role of media coverage and the press on
elections and government actions; the different historical and ideological beliefs of political parties;
demographic groups in the U.S. and their political beliefs; and ways of understanding political beliefs and
behavior.
Materials
Assigned Readings for Unit III:
Ch. 7-9 and 11-12 Wilson and Dilulio,
Martin Wattenburg “Where have all the Voter’s Gone?” in Classic Ideas and Current Issues in American
Government
Supplemental Readings: Supreme Court decisions governing elections; charts on political party formation
and process; the impact of money on politics; graphs and charts on poll design and construction, graphs,
charts, and data about voter demographics.
Activities
 Debate: Good and Evil of the media – what role should the media play in the political world
 Interest groups FRQ from released AP College Board released exam
 Create own interest group or PAC – mission statement, advertisement, lobbying efforts,
membership
 Who is a voter? Analyze graphs, charts, and data on voter demographics and beliefs
 Web quest –Political Parties – who are they, what do they believe?
 Your beliefs – apply political views to yourself – Are you a liberal or conservative? Republican
or Democrat or Libertarian?
 Essay – Agree or Disagree with Martin Wattenburg “Where have all the Voter’s Gone?” in
Classic Ideas and Current Issues in American Government
 Complete - Political Processes (Exercise # 6,7,8, and 9) section in Interpreting Political Data by
Small, Rebecca, 2010
 Unit III Exam
 Discussion and Justification
Powell
Unit IV: Campaigning and Elections – 10 – 20% of the exam
Content Goals:
Students should become familiar with the workings of the electoral process; the role of money
and interest groups on campaigns; the laws governing elections; and the way individual campaigns
operate on the local, state, and national level.
Readings: Wilson and Dilulio;
Ansolabehere,“Going Negative,” Lanahan’s American Polity;
Materials:
Maps, charts, and graphs of electoral outcomes and political participation; charts showing the role of
money in politics; contemporary news and Internet coverage and analysis of elections and campaigns;
discussion of exit poll data.
Special Assignment—Elections: The class will divide into Democrats and Republicans. Those who
choose to identify with neither party will choose one for the sake of the project. Each party is to plan a
campaign for a mock presidential election. Each party should choose its candidate and running mate.
Each party should also use some combination of the following campaign positions: campaign manager,
policy advisors, media consultants, ad specialists, speechwriters, logistics managers, and any other
positions deemed necessary by the campaign manager. This project will be given both a group and an
individual grade. Individual grades will be given by the instructor after reading evaluations completed by
the campaign manager. The group grade depends upon winning the election. In every election, there is a
winner and a loser. Unfortunately, the best campaign does not always win. Welcome to politics.
Assignment
 Dissecting a Campaign Ad – chart and analysis
 Complete – Political Processes (Exercise 10) section in Interpreting Political Data by Small,
Rebecca, 2010
 Persuasive Essay – Campaign Finance Reform
 Special Assignment (see above)
 Current Event Analysis – 2-3 articles about current elections/campaigns with reflection and
analysis
 Exam—multiple-choice and Free response questions
 Discussion and Justification
Unit V: Institutions of National Government 35 – 40% of the exam:
The Congress
Content Goals:
Students should understand the workings of the legislative process; the functions and powers of Congress;
the relationship to other branches of government under the Constitution; and the change and evolution of
congressional powers as a result of specific events in American history.
Materials:
Maps and charts of votes in Congress and party strength; charts on the legislative process and lobbyists,
The Congressional Record via internet
Powell
Assigned Readings – Ch. 13 Wilson and Dilulio, “
Lanahans American Polity; “The Congressional Experience,” “Praise the Pork”, “Congress: The Electoral
Connection,” “Filibuster,” “Home Style,” and “Going Home”
Assignments
 Complete – Institutions of Government section (exercises 11 and 12) in Interpreting Political
Data by Small, Rebecca, 2010
 Chart the Bill to Law Process and analyze recent bills and laws and their journey
 After reading “In Praise of Pork” debate the good/ bad of pork barrel spending
 Skits – A day in the life…. Of a congressman – group work
 Exam—multiple-choice and free-response questions
 Discussion and Justification of Exam
Unit VI: Institutions of National Government 35 – 40% of the exam
Presidency, Bureaucracy, and Federal Budget
Content Goals
Students should understand the functions and powers of the executive branch; its relationship to other
branches of government under the Constitution; the change and evolution of the executive branch and the
bureaucracy as a result of specific events in American history; the relationship between the national
government and state and local government bureaucracies; and the role of the bureaucracy in formulating
the federal budget.
Materials:
Chart of major departments and responsibilities; data on federal budget spending and projected spending.
Assigned readings:
Ch. 14 and 15 in Wilson and Dilulio; Federalist 70
Lanahan’s American Polity: Presidential Power and the Modern President, The White House Staff
Assignments:
 Presidential Cabinet Simulation – Bring your budget requests to the table
 Roles of the President (scavenger hunt in the news)
 Exam Federalist #70 and analyze in an essay
 The Budget – Analyze spending and future spending and graph the top 10 areas of spending
 Exam—multiple choice and free-response questions
 Discussion and Justification of Exam
Unit VII: Institutions of National Government 35 – 40% of the exam (2 weeks – Mar 12- Mar 26)
The Judiciary
Content Goals:
Students should understand the workings of the judicial process; the functions and powers of the federal
court system; the relationship of the Supreme Court to other branches of government under the
Constitution; and the change and evolution of the judiciary as a result of specific events in American
history.
Powell
Materials: review of major cases; chart on rulings of the court.
Assigned Readings: Ch. 16 in Wilson and Dilulio; Federalist #78
Assignments:
 Group work - Annotated Supreme Court Timeline
 Analyze Federalist #78 and respond in and essay
 Exam—multiple Choice and free-response questions
 Discussion and Justification of Exam
Unit VIII: Public Policy 5 -15% of the exam (3 weeks - Mar 27 - Apr 24)
Content Goals
Students should understand the major policy areas and debates in American government today, policy
making in a federal system, the formation of policy agendas, the role on institutions in the enactment of
policy, the role of the bureaucracy and the courts implementation and interpretation; linkage between
policy processes.
This unit consists of group presentations on several areas of public policy, including:





Foreign and Defense Policy
Health Care
Economic Policy
Environmental Policy
Social Welfare Policy
Assigned Readings
Wilson and Dilulio
Groups prepare a written and oral presentation of the assigned policy area.
Presentations must include:




Background information
Major players in this policy arena
Major policy initiatives
Current issues in the policy area
AP Exam Review:
Writing Component
Students must answer numerous free–response questions with essays that demonstrate their ability to
analyze and interpret the structure and actors within American government and politics. These essays
prepare you for the essay section of the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam. Essays are given in class
and in take–home format, and are due approximately every one to two weeks. Some example
assignments:
1. On-Demand (Timed)
Powell
2. Book Review: Each student must read one book on modern politics. Students with conservative
ideologies must read a book written by a more liberal author. Students with liberal ideologies must read a
book written by a more conservative author. Your book review should be approximately two pages in
length and should include all of the following:
 A brief summary of the book, including specific examples taken from the book
 An analysis of the author’s purpose in writing the book, including evidence used by the author to
support his or her position
 Evaluations of the validity of the arguments—are they logical? Are they convincing?
 To whom would you recommend this book and why?
What I Expect of You
 I count on you to attend all classes. Attendance will be recorded, beginning in a few days
 Complete each day's reading assignment before coming to class. I may ask questions in lecture
about the reading that you will need to answer
 Arrive in class on time and remain until you are dismissed.
 Use the restroom before, not during class. Teacher may assign designated restroom time.
 Do not talk to your neighbors during class.
 Do not read newspapers in class.
 Do not sleep in class.
 Silence and put away your cell phone for the duration of the class. Reading or sending text
messages is inappropriate behavior during class. Electronic devices may be used from time to
time for instructional purposes; however, they are NOT to be used otherwise without permission.
 Bring your notebook, pen or pencil and your book when instructed.
 Please read the board for daily assignments, homework assignments, scheduled tests and
announcements.
 Respect each other’s thoughts, opinions, ideas & property.
 Don’t interrupt those who are speaking.
 Abusive language, profanity, cheating and severe disruptions will result in an immediate referral
to administration. A severe disruption is defined as overt refusal to follow the teacher’s
instructions, fighting, vandalism, and explicit threat to the safety of a teacher, student or
themselves, OR any behavior that stops the class from functioning.
Final Grade:
Fall Semester
1st Quarter –
2nd Quarter –
Final Exam
40%
40%
20%
Evaluation Policy:
Your final evaluation will be based upon the documented attainment of each of the course activities and
requirements:
Exams/Tests
Research Projects/Essays
Class work/Homework
Quizzes
40%
30%
10%
20%
Powell
Homework:
In AP Government we have a short reading assignment almost every night. These assignments are to
better prepare the student for the content that will be addressed in class the following day. The readings
are always due the following day unless stated otherwise. Students should expect a brief quiz on these
readings the following day.
Make-up Policy:
ALL assignments are to be completed when assigned!!! Students who are absent (field trips, excused,
unexcused, or any other time out of class) will have 5 school days to complete any and all missing
assignments for full credit. Students who have absences due to extenuating circumstances should speak
with me regarding extensions. It is the responsibility of the student to take care of missed work.
Redo Policy:
The following policy will be implemented in this class:
1. Any student who wishes to improve their test grade may remediate and retest on all or portions of
a unit test.
2. A test can only be redone during the current grading period and/or before the next unit test.
3. In order to be successful, students need to review the standards that were tested. This can be done
in the following ways:
a. With a social studies teacher outside of class (must show documentation from that
teacher)
b. During Social Studies tutoring AFTER SCHOOL announced by the teacher.
c. Another arrangement approved by the teacher ahead of time. No time will be taken from
ANY scheduled class.
4. A higher grade on the 2nd test will replace the 1st grade. There is no penalty for doing worse on
the 2nd test.
5. Teacher reserves the right to give a different version of the test (testing the same standards)
and/or a different format. Ex. Multiple choice test may be changed to an essay assessment.
Course Policies:
Student Conduct In-Class Policy:
Any acts of classroom disruption that go beyond the normal rights of students to question and discuss
with instructors the educational process relative to the subject content will not be tolerated, in accordance
with the Academic Code of Conduct described in the Student Handbook.
Consequences:
1st offense
Verbal Warning
2nd offense
Conference & call home
3rd offense
Detention & call home
4th offense
Referral
Cheating Policy:
Students are expected to uphold the school’s standard of conduct relating to academic honesty. Students
assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding
principle of academic integrity shall be that a student’s submitted work, examinations, reports, and
Powell
projects must be that of the student’s own work. Students shall be guilty of violating the honor code if
they:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Represent the work of others as their own.
Use or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
Give unauthorized assistance to other students.
Modify, without instructor approval, an examination, paper, record, or report for the purpose
of obtaining additional credit.
5. Misrepresent the content of submitted work. A student may not use or copy (by any means)
another’s work (or portions of it) and represent it as his/her own.
The penalty for violating the honor code is severe. Any student violating the honor code is subject to
receive a failing grade for the assignment and will be referred to Administration.
Rewards:
I believe that there should be rewards for positive behavior, good leadership skills, perfect attendance, and
academic achievement. Every student is expected to act in a responsible manner and do their very best.
Rewards will consist of verbal and written praise, certificates during awards program, homework and test
passes (drops the lowest grade), and much more!
Academic Success & Communication:
Each student’s academic success will be determined by the effort he/she puts into the course. Students
and parents are expected to be active in the learning process. Please log on to Power School on a regular
basis to keep up with your students grades. Phone calls or letters home may occur when appropriate due
to any of the following; behavior, performance, praise or other questions or concerns. In addition, I am
available before and after school for extra help, make up work, testing and computer usage. Should you
EVER have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by email at
fpowell001@horrycountyschools.net or by phone at 650-5600. I really look forward to working with
you, growing with you and getting to know you this year!
Reading Selections:
The district provides access to a wide variety of reading materials and resources in promoting literacy for
students. In selecting the materials and resources for classroom libraries and media centers, teachers and
media specialist follow the general procedures that may be found on the district webpage at
http://www.horrycountyschools.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=743462&pageId=1199932 and media center
and classroom library procedures that may be found at
http://www.horrycountyschools.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=743462&pageId=1392268.
One of a school’s primary goals is to develop lifelong learners, with literacy being a key component in
this process. Reading a wide range of materials helps students develop these literacy skills. While a
school’s classrooms and media center make every effort to provide only the highest quality reading
materials, we understand that parents want to help their children make wise a choice as it pertains to what
their child reads. A parent who may have questions about his/her child’s reading material may contact the
school media specialist to request additional information regarding the title, including possible
professional reviews of the title. The school media specialist will work collaboratively with parents and
teachers, to identify titles that will help develop a love of reading.